A problem commonly encountered in storing old cellulose-based materials such papers, books, documents and pamphlets, as well as in storing photographs and films, is that such materials tend to become discolored and/or brittle with time. This degradation is due to the fact that some of the residual chemicals remaining in the paper from the paper manufacturing process, or from having been deliberately added to promote certain desirable properties, react with moisture present either in the air or in the paper to form reaction products. These reaction products, generally sulfuric acid, degrade the cellulose structure of the paper causing brittleness, cracking and/or yellowing of the paper. Another source of degradation of paper products comes from pollutants found in the air we breathe. Various pollutants found in the atmosphere react with moisture to form various acids which weaken and destroy paper. The foregoing sources of degradation cause serious problems for.libraries, historical archives, depositories, etc., where millions of books and documents are lost every year to degradation reactions. As an example, approximately one third of the books and pamphlets in the Library of Congress are too brittle for circulation. See H. M. Malin, Chemistry, Vol. 52, at pp. 17 (1979). Numerous treatment processes have been proposed for treating paper products in order to stop or retard these degradation processes. See E. M. Liston, Plasma Treatment for Improved Bonding.: A Review, J. Adhesion, Vol. 30, at pp. 199-218 (1989). The disadvantage of these existing processes, however, is that they generally involve the application of messy acid-neutralization substances which are expensive and are hazardous to use. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to a provide a safe, clean and inexpensive method for preserving paper and film products using gas plasmas.